Security commitments: Ukraine and US may sign agreement before NATO summit
Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine (Photo: RBC-Ukraine, Vitalii Nosach)
Ukraine and the United States may sign a security commitment agreement before the NATO summit in Washington in July. However, this is a secondary issue in the relations between Ukraine and the United States, according to Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine.
Stefanishyna was asked if Ukraine and the United States could sign a security commitment agreement at the July NATO summit. She replied that negotiations on the agreement between the countries have already taken place, so signing could happen sooner.
"Relevant negotiations were conducted at the level of the Deputy Head of the Office of the President Igor Zhovkva. As you know, Andriy Yermak maintains constant communication with Jake Sullivan. Therefore, tactically, negotiations have been conducted, and a strategic declaration has been adopted. This decision could be made earlier," the Vice Prime Minister noted.
However, according to Stefanishyna, today, Ukraine is focused not on the issue of security commitments but on working with the US Congress to adopt a decision on financing assistance to Ukraine.
"We have to survive first and then think about how to guarantee our security. We need to protect Ukrainian cities, we need Patriot missiles. And this is a matter of life and death. So we are focusing on this. Security commitments will be signed," she said.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also stated that Ukraine is currently focused on working with the US Congress, not on security commitments.
Security commitments
In January, Ukraine and Britain signed a security commitment agreement. London became the first to sign such a document with Kyiv.
This week, security commitment agreements were signed between Ukraine and Germany and France. At the same time, the Office of the President announced the signing of security documents with two more countries.
